The Common App for transfer Program User Guide

Cycle Timeframes

Applicant Portal

The Applicant Portal opens in late July and closes in late July. You can view the specific cycle dates, including final processing dates (e.g., last date to submit transcripts, last date to request letters of recommendation, etc.), on The Common App for transfer Cycle Dates page.

Configuration Portal

Between late February and late May, configurations are entered into the prelaunch environment. The account team and The Common App for transfer review submitted configurations in June.

WebAdMIT

You can initiate a transfer settings before the cycle opens in late July, and view new applicants shortly after the new cycle opens in late July.

Program Participation Requirements

The Common App requires all programs to designate two contacts at your institution who will receive all communication from The Common App for transfer, including the application and WebAdMIT launch notifications.

Applicant Portal

The first three sections of The Common App for transfer application (i.e., Personal Information, Academic History, and Supporting Information) compose the core application. They contain questions that are commonly asked of applicants across all participating programs, such as an applicant's biographic information, standardized test scores, and experiences. The fourth section of the application is Program Materials, which is customized by you through the Configuration Portal (discussed in the next section).

You can access The Common App for transfer application and The Common App for transfer Help Center to review the applicant experience. You can also create a test application in the Applicant Portal; we recommend creating a new account and adding "test" to your name (e.g., TestJohn TestDoe).

For a general overview of the applicant experience, review the following documents:

• Applicant Processing Reference Guide: learn how applicants move through the application and Liaison processes applicant materials, such as transcripts. Note that only the Applicant Experience and Transcript sections are applicable to The Common App. In addition, The Common App only accepts electronic transcripts from National Student Clearinghouse and Parchment.
• Application Statuses Reference Guide: review what each application status means and how you can interact with applicants at different stages. Note that The Common App's final application status is "Complete."
  • Review the requirements for The Common App for transfer Complete application status.
• The Common App for transfer Quick Start Guide and FAQs: a suggested timeline for completing and submitting the application, links to important pages including cycle dates and fees, and a FAQs section.

You can direct any applicant inquiries related to the application to The Common App for transfer Customer Service.

Configuration Portal

Once you've configured your program, you'll need to have it approved by the account team and The Common App before it is available to applicants. If your program is reviewed after the cycle launches, The Common App will approve it.

WebAdMIT

Review The Common App for transfer Quick Start Guide for any questions related to working in WebAdMIT. The Reference Guides and WebAdMIT Training and Support sections are additional resources as you configure WebAdMIT for your needs. Documents commonly requested include:

• Application Coupons Reference Guide: learn how to request coupons to offset application fees and disperse them to applicants.
• Application Coupon Codes FAQs: review answers to frequently asked questions about offering coupon codes. 
• Data Dictionaries and Master Code Lists: a comprehensive list of all fields available in the Export Manager and Report Manager, including associated lookup tables.
• Invitation Codes Reference Guide: learn how to offer individual deadline extensions directly to applicants
• Social Security Number (SSN) Documents Reference Guide: a guide on how to configure a PGP key to receive an encrypted file that contains the applicant's CAS ID and SSN.
• Transfer Settings Guide: a review of how programs and templates built in WebAdMIT are carried forward each cycle. Note that The Common App does not use the Scoring, Assignment, Interviewing, and Local GPAs features.

The Release Notes feature new enhancements in the Applicant Portal, Applicant Gateway, Configuration Portal, Liaison Letters, and WebAdMIT, in addition to upcoming training opportunities.

For any questions, contact the Client Support Specialist Team.

Cycle Enhancements